Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-05-20
DAILY HERALD.
DIR SEWERS.
An Intelligent opinion abo"'
our sewer system.


EprroR HERALD:--A great deal nj
been said and written about our sewe
age system. You will pardon me II
should tresspass on yea for furth'
hearing. Waving been together wit
Mr.. George Hansen, City Surveyor
this city during the years when the pair
cipal portion of the present system {
sewerage was inaugurated, ] feel that
can discuss the mntter with some degre
OF intelligence.
First-There is no better system G
beverage 10 be devised than that we ncN
have.
Second--There are few large eitie
that can offer better natural facilities TO
the construc ION of sewer works.
Third--In no country in the world
can the sewerage matter be disposed o.
to better advantage or greater profit.
Fourth--en the part of the genera
public there is complete ignorance Of
our present system of sewerage aud oi
the disposal Of the matter.
Treating the subjects in the order
named:
First--It is only necessary for anyone
to 60 to the outlet OF the city sewerage
and inspect its character. II passes
away in a raNid stream of discolored
water. The inclination of the sewers,
from l6 to 81 feet per mile. insures very
rapid discharge. Any sewerage matter
entering on the line of sewers will have
passed beyond the southern line Of the
city before the expiration of twelve
hours, consequently there can no
fermentation process take place. At
the heads of, or point of origin of
sewers, there is likely to be deposit
which can be readily removed by the
flushing process. Extend yonr present
systems to streets where there are no
sewers and make the adjoining property
owners have their premises connected.
Second-Thc natural confguration of
the ground is most favorable for the con.
struction of sewers. There is a fall of
about from sixteen to twenty feet to the
mile which is most favorable. To make
this clear to the unpr0fessional mind,
shall illustrate by the appearance of the
I<pS auGti0S IlNtl Iuli.
You will there sec the velocity of
stream falling twen,y-one feet per
mile.
Third-As to the disposition of sew.
erage matter, estimate that there are
one hundred aud three Thousand acres
south of the city on which sewerage
could be used; and putting the quantity
of sewerage in the familiar language of
heads of water, there would
be enough to irrigate one hundred
acres per day so thas person getting
the sewerage on his land to-day would
not get it again before time ELAPSED of
nearly three years. / wish merely to
show there would be no excess of sewer
age beyond the demand.
The question of carrying the sewerage
to the ocean is almost too silly to dis
cuss. call it an insane proposition. l
will here quote from "Les Miserables":
1.-THE earth impoverished by the sea.
Paris casts twenty-five millions of francs
annually into the sea; and we assert this
without any metaphor. How SO, and in
what way: By day and night. For
what object? For no object. With
what thought? Without thinking.
What to do? Nothing By means of
what o~gsn? Its intestfnes. What
are its intestines? Its sewers. Seventy.
the approximate amounts given by the
estimates of modern science. Science,
after cropping for lorg time, knows now
that the most fertiliziug and effective of
manures is that from the sewers. The
Chinese, let US say it to our shame.
knew this before we did. Not Chinese
peasant who goes to the city but brings,
at either end of his bamboo, bucket
full Of what we call filth. Thanks to
the filth, the soil in China is still as
youthful as in the days of Abraham.
There is no guano comparable in
fertility to the detritus of capital.
To employ the town in manuring the
plain would be certain success; for il
gold be dross, on the other hand, our
dross is gold All the valuable manure
which the world loses, ii returned to the
land instead of being thrown into rhe
sea. would suffice to nourish the world"
UDder the Mosaic dispensatiop sani-
tary laws were religiously observed, and
the remains OF their old works show that
the Jews possessed clear knowledge of
the necessity of removing oil deeompos-
ing matter as expeditiously as possible
to place outside their city, and when
so removed they knew how to dispose
of IT, We find from the Mishna there
was a great cave beneath the altar
whereby filth and uncleanliness were
carried down into the valley Kedron,
.,,J tho oard epar, urchauad IL
From the description of the outfall
works of the sewerage of ancient Jeru-
salem we learn that the sewage was
collected in tanks, the solid matter re.
moved from it aud the liquid was after.
wards used for the purposes of irriga-
tion, Just as is the most approved prac-
tice of this day.
In fact, the best samples of sanitary
works of the present day are not up to
the standard of excellence to be found
in the ruins of the ancient cities.
Fourth--On the part of the general
public there seems to be complete ig.
norance of the condition of sewers and
the disposition ot the same. I will
state that tn re extends on Main street
from about the plaza to Ogier lane and
tuenC6 uOWH tu6 Sduic u u luuCtlOu
with Los Angeles street substantial
brick main sewer of a height of about
four feet. have had frequent oppor--
tunities OF an examination of its condi-
tion and always found it clean and with
out deposit. This main sewer in an.
other form is extended to the southern
boundary OF the city. In the principal
portions of the remainder of the city
the SO wers are made of artificial stone
pipe of various diameters, the smallest
that remember being eight inches.
When the sewerage reaches the south
ern boundary of the city it is then taker
charge of by local corporation, incor
porated for the purpose, and selling the
sewerage for fertilization and irrigation
! understand that the shares OF stoci
originally represented $40 and are nov
worth $500.
The sewerage is there and below use'
used very profitably and without belnl
any nuisance, and there Is not the slight
est occasion OF there being any. Ther